Chichester Brownies bridge care home generation gap with flowers

Flower power was the theme of the evening as girls aged seven to ten shared their enthusiasm for being Brownies on a visit to a Chichester care home’s garden.

Residents at Colten Care’s Wellington Grange welcomed ten young visitors, plus three leaders, from the 10th Chichester Brownies.

The focus of the occasion was flower arranging but it wasn’t long before residents shared happy memories of being Brownies and Girl Guides themselves and young and not-so-young struck up lively conversations.

The arranging involved flowers grown specially in the Broyle Road home’s garden along with other wildflowers and foliage gathered by Colten Care gardener Emily Trueman.

Emily started the evening with some advice for the Brownies on best practice for flower arranging, as well as a few safety tips.

The Brownies then spread themselves around the tables between their hosts, so they could work together, with the residents offering advice and information on the flowers and plants being used.

Companionship Team Leader Heather Pearce said: “As a Brownie leader myself in Hampshire, I was very keen to get a Brownie unit in as I knew they would enjoy it as much as our residents.

“Working at the tables together gave everyone a chance to get to know each other, with the focus on flower arranging to talk about.

“It was lovely to see our residents and the Brownies chatting and interacting while they produced their floral displays.

“There was lots of chatter, stories and questions asked.

“Our residents loved the opportunity to pass on their knowledge about the flowers to the Brownies.

“We hope this will be the start of a great relationship between Wellington Grange and 10th Chichester Brownies.

“The Brownies took their flower arrangements home with them, while the ones the residents made are on display in the dining rooms at Wellington Grange for all to enjoy.”

Wellington Grange resident Betty Smith said: “I really enjoyed talking to the Brownies and finding out the badges they have been earning. It took me back to when I was in Girl Guiding. It was such a lovely evening to spend in the beautiful garden with great company.”